Maori Correspondence.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VII, Issue 19, 15 December 1860, Page 3

Maori Correspondence.

His Excellency the Governor has directed the following correspondence to be published in the "Messenger" for general information. Unuwao, Utakura,. March 12, 1860.. Eriend the Governor, — Salutations to you, my loving friend, and the lather of the tribes, North and South, and in alt corners of the world. Father, the Governor, —I keep to two laws—the Gospel of God and the law of the Queen. lam dwelling in peace—in good thoughts and in the enlightened consideration of your laws. This letter is as a stranger guest to you. Bid it welcome and say, "Come, in the name of the Ngapuhis, froin Hokianga!" Let these words be printed in the Messenger, that my friends may hear these thoughts. Enough. It is ended. Send me a newspaper. llipio Te Whareonfo.ne, of Ulakura. Te Maire, Manawalu, April 25,1860. Our friend Mr. McLean, — Salutations to you! We are glad because Tamihana Te Rauparaha has come to bring good news to us, the old Chiefs of Ngatiwakatere, and also to bring us your letter of the 27th March. Our hearts are enlightened now that we have heard the words of your letter. We have no part in the murderous proceedings of the Ngatiawa at Taranaki. That is an evil work of theirs; indeed the evil of these tribes—the Ngatiawa, the Taranaki, and the Ngatiruanui,—to you Pakehas, has now fairly commenced. We are very sad because of the murderous deeds of the Taranaki and Ngatiruanui on the Pakehas and their children. The heart revolts at the evil doings of those bad tribes. And now, 0. our friend, hearken to our thoughts. We wish what is good only to grow up amongst us. Let the Taranaki people!

keep their bad conduct to themselves. It I will be to their own disadvantage. Let Wirenin Kingi also keep his errors to himself; let him bring his evil lo an end. You know that we lived in peace during the disturbance caused by Te Kaugihaeata. We remained quietly upon the land without taking any part ia those evils. Te ttauparaha was great; he was not aroused; he! was enveloped in what was good bv the! *nbe. Now,, the good only will be pursued kindness to the Pakehas residing at Ma:iawatu, and love to one another in this lime of sadness. Make known our words to ihe kind old gentleman -to Governor Browne, i From your loving friends, the Chiefs of! rvgatiwakaiere. I Takerei Te Nawe. j Te Papa, j Te Hopiha Tapuikore, I HONA Te PuRAMGr, | llorl Kerei Te Waharoa, Harawira Kikaroa, Henare Harawira Mateauroa. I To D. McLean, Esq., Auckland. 1 ——— —. ' Tahu.rikotna, j April 2ord, iB6O. ! This is an arrangement by the mnanga respecting questions in the "Maori Messenger" which have reached Hapata, and which he left for the runanga lo examine. That •'Maori Messenger" was published on lite 45th March, iB6O. The runanga discussed two questions —first, the murder by Taranaki and the Ngatiruanui; secondly, the placing| of ourselves under the shadow of the Quireu j -—that is to say, under the Governor. j Reihana Kungaterangi addressed (the. ra- J nanga) saying: ''Give utterance to your| opinions." j Te Wetini got up and said; " I have two I things to say. Ido not approve of murder, ! neither do I approve of war. j murderers should be apprehended! according to law. 'Jhe (law of) the Oueenj is for my body, and the (law of) God for mv! soul." i Karaipu: 44 ! do not approve of war. The) law should seize the murderers, because the! (law of the) Queen is for my body, and (tliej law of) God for my soul." Pita Kongomau: '* Ido notapprove of war. Ihe (law of the) Queen is for my body, and: (the law of) God for my soul/' j Kpiha: "I do not approve of war. I am' for the Queen and for God." j Pila Maiiau: "My word is in St. Mut-i thew—chapter 5, y.\ 6. My trust is in !

God and the Queen. Those murderers must be fetched by the Law." ! Te Rewene: " Hold fast, niv friends, lest your crown should he taken away. 1 am for God and the Queen." Kipa Ngawaka: "I say. that work murder) was very bad. My fortress is God and the Queen. " j Te Harawira : "Behold these two things i —God and the Queen ! These shall be my shelter. He courageousto run the race which I is set before you." j Ksiha: 11 1 say, Tdo not approve of this' unprovoked murder bv Taranaki and the Ngatiruanui. Those murderers should be ! apprehended by the law. • Tumuiumuj parea, rakauparea, wanui te ara kia Tane/'"! _ Ani (sister of Paora): 41 My children, yoiir j sire died in the faith, and also under the j shadow of the Queen. Do you be likewise, j and attend to the good rules of the Queen." [ Hori Kerei: "Formerly evil was caused ; by Hone Heke and Te Hangihaeata. ] did not approve of either (of those wars). Now there is war at Taranaki. But 1 will nut take part in it. My guardians are God and Ihe Queen." Rewi Paora Te Rua: "My father died in the faith, and friendly to the Queen. I shall do likewise." Noa: "Taranaki and Ngatiruanui are wrong. That was a foul murder. Let the Law take them. I am for God and the Quwn." Pihopa:—" Ido not approve of war. Let these murders be settled by the law. The (law of the) Queen is for my body, and (the law of) God for my soul." Friend, Goverqorßrowne Salutations to you. living under the ordinances of God, and the Queen. This is our conclusion,—that the law should settle that evil. If our friends in the faith at all places should see i this, they will approve. S)o you publish ! these words in the •' Maori Messenger," so \ lhat all our Maori friends may see them. From Rf.iiiana and Hep ata. V * : Vienna, Austria, April 26th. JK6O. j Friend, the Governor of New Zealand,— i Salutations to yoult was the love of! God that brought tne here to see the lands; of the Pakchas. This was the reason ol mv ! desire to travel. 1 did not care to see one ; land, but all the lands of the Pakehas. I; write to the Governor of New Zealand be-! cause of my great love for New Zealand. I j have now seen the source from whence the

Pakehas have sprung. It is good—very good. I have seen the great Chiefs ofthePakeha, —the Kings and the Queens. This is all I have to say lo you. Friend, the Governor,—l belong to the Ngatimaniapoto (tribe); I am a son of Togaporulu Paraone. Enough. From Hemara Rerehvu. Manawatu, April 26, 1860. Friend, Mr. McLean,— Salutations to you! Tamihana Te Rauparaha arrived here, at Manawatu, on the 21st April to read your letter to us. It was good. Our minds were enlightened. We are not sympathizing with the evil of that foolish tribe at Taranaki. We have determined on condemning the proceedings of those tribes at Taranaki who are doing evil and committing murder. What we are thinking about is, good only, that the Pakehas and Maories may live together as brethren, and under the authority of the Queen. The Governor and you are aware of Te! Rangihaeaia's former evil. But our hearts were not made uneasy about him, nor about Te Rauparaha, who, being (as it were) our hat, was taken by Governor Grey on account of our mistaken conduct. We were very forbearing on these occasions. But in this case, there is no consideration for those foolish tribes at Taranaki. From us, Ihakara Tukumaru, Ngatuna, Paratene Taupiri, Horl WITIOPAE, Makarini, Kereopa. Otaki, April 28, dB6O. My loving friend, Mr. McLean,— Salutations to you! Probably you have received my letter of the 16ih of April, and the letter written by us, the elder Chiefs of the Ngatiruakawa, on Friday the 20ih. I went to Waikawa to seethe Ngatiteihiihi. I found them assembled to talk about constructing their mill. The subject of my conversation with them was, the contents of your letter of the 27th March. I explained the whole of it to them, and spoke also on maintaining our love to the Queen, and her authority over us Maories, and the brotherlv love existing between the Pakehas and tbe'Maories of this Island. When I had finished speaking they approved t)fwhat I had said. What

they lold me was, that they had no other Thought than what was good, and thai they were glad of what you had said. I then went lo Ohau, to Mateawa's place, and spoke as I had done at Waikawa, and also made known your words lo Te Peina and Hoani, the old Chiefs of that tribe. The words of that old man, Te Peina, to me were, that he was glad that I had come to see them, ao.l to take to them the words in your letter. Some of his words were of a different character. Some of his words were about the flag brought by Wiremu Tako's friends. That man was from the Ngatiraukawa, a captive slave of the old man, Hukiki. That old man said tome that the flag of lhe"jrtn£f was good. I to Waikato, to Maungatautari, to your place; if you erect it here, it will be demolished by us, the subjects of Queen Victoria." When I had finished speaking, I went to Horowhenua to sleep, and saw Matene Te Whiwhi there. On Saturday, the 21st day of the same month, Matene Te Whiwhi and I went to the pa of Muaupoko and spoke (to the Natives) about remaining quiet, and advised them not to listen to the false reports, to the effect that the Pakebas intend to interfere with the Maories. We also told them of your words, to enlighten them. They told us that it was good,—that their hearts were light. We then went on to Porotawao, lo see the Ngatihuia. When they heard of our arrival, they assembled. That old Chief, Te Ahi Karamu, remained at his place where you saw him when you were with us. They gathered together and your letter was read aloud for their information, and 1 spoke on the subject of living in peace. When I bad ceased speaking Te Hoia stood up, and said, "It is well you have come to see us, and we are glad." Another matter spoken of was the flag which was brought from the North. Jr. was retained by the children. It is said that the children [or young men] acted foolishly in retaining that flag at Porotawao.

We then said : •' Now are we grieved because of this bad proceeding. Presently «vil will happen to yon. You had better destroy it, (the flag,) and cast it away, lb at it may not be seen." Te Hora said, "II bad better be returned to the person who brought it." Malene then returned (home,) and ] decided on accompanying him- On the morning of Sunday, the 22nd. I went to the Awahou nnd up the Manawatu to see the Ngaliwakatere. They were very glad, as you may see by their letter. On the Monday I returned

tiorth to Awahou. Ihaknra and the others were at Hangiiikei, holding a meeting there. I was thinking about returning when niv companion, Te Hnka, called 10 me. and said", " Ymt hart belter go to Rrhigitikei to he present at the meeting of the i\ T g;>tiraukaw«, Ngaiipa, Te Par<dri and \Yhang:>nui, which is to be convened there. There, evil wor.is xvill be spoken by thai young man Hunia Te Hak'ke, and by certain other bad men, against the Pakehas. I said, "It is correct: 1 wii! go." Te Hnka then gave ine his horse, a strong animal, and 1 started 0:1 Tuesday, the "23rd. day of Aprii: but when I reached l'arewanui, most of the men h:id returned to their homes. Thehapus that I fnund assembled at Parewanui were the Ngatiapa hapus from Turakina, Wnugaehu, Whangar.ui, and Te Pareiri. 1 arrived there at 1i o'clock and they saw me Mete Kingi was there and all the Ngatiapa making arrangements :\boul their place, and about Renata's post which 1 wrote to you about. They were also bl;iruing Nepia. When they had ceased talking, 1 stood up to address them. These were my words: 11 1 have come to hear what these tribes have to say against my Pakeha relatives, about separating the dark ski.is and the white skins. Who has uttered these evil words?— The Ngatiapa, or the Ngaiiraukawa perhaps— the people who are favorably disposed towards the false plans of the Waikatos. If you do not show regard for our Pakehas, you will do very wrong. It will be like the punishment 1 [i.e., my tribej inflicted upon you in the days of darkness. It was through the Pakehasthat our eyes now look upon peace and safety." I also said to them, '• Live quietly and be kind to the Pakehas who are living beside you at Kangitikei. Let the Waikato flag be sent back to Waikato, to Maungatautari. Behave properly, O Ngatiapa, and be kind to our Pakeha parents." They approved of what I had said, and I also read your letters to them that Ihey might hear them. They approved of them, and I urged them to wriic. a letter to you. They replied that then- letter had been sent. ,at this meet ng at Parewanui. The object of (his meeting was to talk about land and about Henata's nost. I then went to Nepia's place at Matahiwi to see him. I did uoi see him, however, as he had gone to receive the 701, for the lease of land on this side [of the ri\er|. from Kannahi (?) a Pakeha of Kangitikei. 1 saw only his wife and Perah:una Te Hunahuna. I requested him to write a letter to you to tell \ou of his good thoughts in reference to the Pakehas, namely,

that they shall be treated kindly here, as long as we live, so that tliey may prosper. At night I returned to sleep at a Pakeha's place. On the 2oih. I reached Tj Awahouand went to receive hospitality at Te Kuka's (?) house. The following morning Ihakara wrote his words to yon. They are contained in his letter. I then came on to Porotawao to speak there. I saw the old man, Te Ahi. His thoughts are good. They are expressed in his letter to you. His young mon, however, think differently. They are in favour of the Rag brought here by Tako's friends. We and our old Chiefs are all vexed at this mischief-making fiais affair. I will however inform yon in another letter of what may transpire at our great meeting which is to be held on the 3rd. May. From your loving friend, Tamihany Te Rauparaha. [Otaki,] April 30, 18G0. My friend, — A word was omitted in my former letter, written from the meeting at Katihihi about a letter of those people in which they condemned the Governor. Understand me: Do not let any one deceive you by saying that I saw the writing of that document. I did not see it, neither did [ give my consent to it. My name is not to be seen in it, for that old man is my loving parent. I was angry with Ihakara for his madness against his parent. He was very ashamed and said that he must write lo you, or to the Governor, informing von that his name was nut written by himself, but that he had consented to it on being urged by other people. My answer to those who found fault with the Governor was: In my knowledge, the Governor has not done wrong, for Te Teira sold the land to him, in the same manner as Ihakara has sold his land to the Governor. Some said that it belonged to Nepia or some one else. It is always the same with the Maories. Their land is never without dispute. My answers were right, and the people which made such" false statements were silenced. Ojj& Pake has was their strong desire for war, and also that of the Governor, ft was so at Wairau; the Pakeha caused that [war} at Heretauuga; at Wellington it was the Pakeha; at the Bay of Islands it was the Pakeha who caused it. My answer to those words was this. It is true that the Wairau fight was caused by

the Pakeha in the first instance: therefore the Queen and her Council condemned that battle at Wairau. The fighting at Ileretaunga and Wellington was caused by the Maories. For Te Rauparaha received the payment, in 3mouni 400 i., paid to him bv Governor Fitzßov. 200Z was given to Te Rangihaeata with which tie purchased the vessel from Hori Poii [George Thomas]. That vessel sank at Porirua. Te had 200/. Te Ranginaeata was not pleased, for he was bastv. Pakehas. were murdered at Wellington and Heretaunga. The murderers were withheld by Te Rangihaeaia. Then commenced that war, and the lands were taken by the Pakehas. At Whanganui it was the same. Murder caused it, and the land was taken by the Pakehas. That with lione Heke. and Ngapuhi was caused by a flag. The victory was not won by the Maories, inasmuch as the flag or the Queen is now standing at the Bay of Islands. That land has been fully paid for. What will be the good of our abuse of the Pakehas? Should we persist in our abuse of the Pakehas, then we shall all perish, andall.our lands will be gone. With these words I answered all the tribes that spoke contemptuously of the Pakehas. There were some Ngatiraukawa, and some of other tribes. These were my words when we. were assembled together. Vou must write a letter to me, that we may be satisfied. From your loving friend, Tajjiuana Teß.ujpaiuha.D. McLean, Esq., Auckland. Raukawa, Manawatu, , May 31, 1860. Friend, the Governor, — Salutations to you! I have received vour letter of the 2olh of April. I cannot accept your invitation, nevertheless, I will write down my ideas that you may hear thera. In the first place, I do not approve of the Maori King. Secondly, Ido not approve of tb? Maori system, as I suffered under that I bad system of oid. When Christianity was introducer! and the Queen's rules then only I S withdraw from those old habits. My I third ihougSii is, that I will not return to i tiio.se old customs.* The fourth is, that a ' jasrp;waie»n may be now given by you for j my fSnd, th.it, is, that it may be bought by iiK: acre. I did uot feel satisfied with Mr. | kearancke's price. He offered sixpence per j acre. Do you fix the price at so many shillings per acre. My fifth thought is, to '

promote the welfare of the people, lhat they maylive, thrive, and become enlightened, and that we may dwell together in peace; for I rest upon the words spoken to me by you at Whanganui. Upon these words of yours : lhat you were sent here by the Queen to succeed those Governors who were sent here before you, to promote the welfare of the Pakeha and Maori races; so that they might have one system, one feeling, and one pursuit: that the Maori might thrive equally with the Pakeha, and lhat they might live quietly and in harmony together. I am considering those words of yours. For lhat is the way in which good has grown up amongst us. Do not suppose that lam inclined towards evil: no, lam for good. I was for evil formerly, and the resuli was evil; now good has come, and I will always do that which is good, for by so doing we shall gain admittance to the world of light. I do not think thus, thai you intend to oppress the Maories, to lake their laud ; or to exterminate them: no, my thoughts are not so—they are a'ways upon lhat which is good and clear. Friend, these are all my thoughts. You are aware that I am but one man and my tribe is a small one, but lei the irusi of ihe humble be in religion. Enough. From your friend, TE HIRIWANB Kumokopuxa. Waipapa, June 13, 1860. Friend, the Governor of New Zealand,— j Salutation to you! Friend, the father of! all the people, listen to our thoughts,—the! thoughts of thisiribe, the Ngaiirangiwewehi. j Do not suppose lhat our acknowledgment j of the Queen as shelter of these tribes,-- the Rangiwewehi, Uenukukopako, Whakaue, Pikiao, and Tuhourangi,—will fall. No; thou, 0 Father the Governor, art our King, our support, aud our parent. Friend, the Governor, hearken ! We do not approve of Te Rangitake's doing. Let him carry on his own erring works. Wei!, (if evil befall him) what matters it? the fault will be his own. The worst thing in our opinion, K the NgaUinaninpoto going io spill ihcir biooil on the iiusd of other, people. 0 Governor, this work of iliat | foolish tribe is wrong. Enough on this j subject. | 0 Friend, the Governor,—There is no j Maori King for this canoe—the Arawa—> none whatever, for the jiame of King was

nor in Ts'ew Zealand in former times. When the laws came which were brought by you, tti?n only were all matters in this island of Mow Zealand rendered clear, and then only was the name of King mentioned in this inland. Hearken ! Leave to Waikato their King. Tlie Queen is our protector, and the Governor is the kind friend and helper of these tribes who are here giving expression in their sentiments. As it was in the beginning so let it continue, now and forever, if nvanour attachment to the Governor. Enough about this. Ii is ended. From Eruera K h\w i, Wxremu Ringi Tuaeasgvta. Waioraiane, Waiapu, June 22nd, 1800. Ttuend, Mr. McLean, —It is by means of your newspnpar that we hear all the news. On the 19th of June all the people of Waiapu assembled at a runanga. There were 5000 persons present. The cause of our runanga was the word of the Governor .* "All ye tribes living under the law of God, remember the Gth Commandment— Thou shalt do no murder, If you condemn the Law you have cursed the Law of God." Enough. All the runanga consented, inasmuch as that law was a law of mercy. We have heard of a misguided people who have assaulted their parent —namely, the Pakeha, who brought the law of kindness for the Maori people. This is our thought: We are living two laws—one is the Law of God, and the other is the Law of the Queen. The Law of God is for the Spirit, and ihe Law of the Queen is for the protection of the body lest it be hurt by men. The Shepherd for its all, O people, is Christ only—whether Pakeha or Maori, black skin or red skin, we are all of one blood. Hearken to Ihe word of God all ye tribes, and look also to the clouds that are constantly passing. "By disobedience, what will you gain? It will cause your destruction."—(9th Hymn.) Friend, Mr. McLean, take our hoiero that our Father the Governor may see it. Although we have not seen his face, his words reach us in the "Maori Messenger," and the yws of mercy come to us from England, from the Queen. Friends, all the Maories, let your thoughts

be firmly fixed upon the two laws. The work of Satan is to try the Church of God, and it is by him that we are made to do wrong. Witness Taraoaki: they are Christians, but they have been tried by Satan. Do not ycu interefere. That is, perhaps, God's punishment of them for trampling upon His laws which He has laid down for all the world. These are the persons from whom this korero comes—Arapeta (and 65 otbers). Hiese are the Chiefs appointed by the liunanga over all the others. Mokena Koiiere, Assessor; And his two scribes Wmemu Paikea, and Raaw 'Ferahima. D. McLean, Esq., Auckland. Ahuahu, Kawhia, June 25, 1860. 0 Father, the Governor, — Salutations to you! Your letter has,arrived. We cannot go to your meeting because we are depressed and ashamed. Karoiiii and his companions have returned When all have come back we shall assemble together and talk, that the guns may be given up. Bui do not say that those guns were stolen by us. You have heard the arrangement unade) about these guns. They bad .already) been paid for. Had not Mr. Ilrewer said, "Let no payment be given for those guns"—had we had a wish to plunder, all the properly of the European would have been taken-taken altogether. Hut it was a quiet arrangement: the guns only were taken and the rest of the property left behind. Do not be dark about Iloani Wetcre whom we have deiained (from going to the meeting). Enough. From your Loving friends, Kikikof, Nuitone Te Pakaru, Takerei Ngamo i u, M.vric, Home Te One, at Kawhia. Tumatanui, August 30, 1860. Friend, the Governor, — Salutations to you and to your Runanga. 1 send my regards to you 0 Governor! because of your good laws which have reached us, that is, the good laws of the drescnt time; for I am one of the King

parly, and the office of magistrate has been conferred upon me by your friend Potatau; that I may investigate cases of offence* at Tauranga. Your words a>*e very clear. A letter from the King has come to me, inviting me to go to taranaki. I did not consent because my desires have now alighied upon your good laws—quietness, kindness, pracefulness, and meekness. There is no law that can set aside these things. This is all I have to say to your Runanga: From your loving friend, Hohep-v Paraone^ Pukaki, Oct. 24, 1860. 0, Kilii, Pene, Waikato, Uerepata, and all you Chiefs of Waikato, salutations to you all, in darkness, in pain, and in union! Hearken, all yeChiefsof Waikato—old Chiefs and young Chiefs, all of you, small and great, women and children—io our lalk at the meeting at Pukaki on the 25rd. day of October, 1 860. At that meeting war-dances vere danced, because of the great affliction. The korero was brought to a peaceable termination, and the mailer quite settled. The cause of iis being settled was your rot tenness. Hearken! Would 1 turn to hold this rottenness?—l, the slave, the man of low birth! It is better for you, the Chiefs, to hold the last words that have been left. This is what I, the common person, did. I followed the works of the Chiefs. What could I do? The word had been laid down, the words left by the Chiefs: 1 only carry them out. I know, however, that I am in the bows of the canoe, and you have merely to steer. If I call out, Keep her from the wind, the steersman does so. If I say, Layher in the trough otthe sea, it is done; and if I say, Keep her siern on, it is also done. So in this matter, I am the watchman at the bows. Let your (plan) be joined to ours. The affair of the murdered man has been quite settled. Do not be alarmed. Let each man remain quiet at his own place. The person who murdered Erietara has not been discovered, but the search will be continued for ever, and if he is not found out, what else can man do? For there are ibree questions which cause perplexity—Was he killed by his own gun ? Was it done by a Maori? Was it by a Pakcha? If the murderer is discovered, he will himself be the payment for his crime. Enough. Ihaka Takaanini, Mohi Te Ahiatengu, Tamati Ngapora.

Friend the Governor, — Salutations to you ! These are our new ideas with respect to the laws and all good works. Attend to them. We see the error of those who persist in fighting, and therefore we have expressed our thoughts to our tribe, as to having our wrongs quietly arranged, and also about having assessors appointed, and some just persons who shall judge our works whether good or evillest our errors should become the instrument of our own destruction. We therefore held a runanga about these offences which are hurtful to us, namely, (quarrels about) land and women, theft, false accusations, cattle trespass, killing unlawfully, and various other misdemeanors. This was another reason for our runanga. We have become possessed of pakeha properly by the labor of our hands. We desire pakeha food. We therefore want to have a mill built, so that we may have flour. We also want a blacksmith to repair our carts and ploughs, and a shoemaker to make our shoes and repair our saddles and harness. Friend, the Governor,—Tell us whether our work is right or wrong, and teach us )he good things with which we are not yet acquainted. If it should please you to direct that this be printed in the ' 4 Maori Messenger," it will be well, so that the opinions of the Whakatohe may be generally known. From your loving friend, Poihipi Puroko.